Ryan VZ-3 Vertiplane

The Ryan VZ-3 Vertiplane, also known by the company designation Model 92, was an American experimental vertical and short takeoff aircraft built by the Ryan Aeronautical Company for the United States Army. It was a simple proof of concept that used blown flaps to achieve a short or near-vertical takeoff. A high-wing monoplane with a T-tail, it was powered by an Avco Lycoming T53 turboshaft engine inside the fuselage that drove two large propellers, one on each wing, with wide double flaps extended into the propeller slipstream for takeoff and a jet-deflection nozzle at the tail for control in the hover. It could take off within about 30 feet at 25 miles per hour. After a 21-flight Army test programme and a crash in 1959 it was rebuilt, passed to NASA for further trials and is now displayed at the United States Army Aviation Museum.